Friday, December 31, 2010

Privacy in the area of social media - National post

Years from now, when we look back on
2010, there’s a good chance that we will remember this as the year the general public’s understanding of privacy began to change. When ordinary people started to awake from their blissful digital ignorance to confront the realities of the online world and the incredible power of information in the Internet age.

Year in Ideas: Social networking and the end of privacy http://bit.ly/gx400l

Comment:
This is a new area we live in and we have to adopt to it same way we did to work with computers. Key is to educate our selves on what we expose and whether we feel comfortable with it.
Technology moves and adopt to our needs anyway. Olgen Ifti

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Gadgets Bring New Opportunities for Hackers - New York Times

Gadgets Bring New Opportunities for Hackers Peter DaSilva for The New York Times Adrian Turner, chief of Ocana, a security company, says device makers are rushing products. By ASHLEE VANCE Published: 26 December, 2010 Researchers at Mocana, a security technology company in San Francisco, recently discovered they could hack into a best-selling Internet-ready HDTV model with unsettling ease. They found a hole in the software that helps display Web sites on the TV and leveraged that flaw to control information being sent to the television. They could put up a fake screen for a site like Amazon.com and then request credit card billing details for a purchase. They could also monitor data being sent from the TV to sites. “Consumer electronics makers as a class seem to be rushing to connect all their products to the Internet,” said Adrian Turner, Mocana’s chief executive. “I can tell you for a fact that the design teams at these companies have not put enough thought into security.” Mocana and firms like it sell technology for protecting devices and often try to publicize potential threats. But the Mocana test also illustrates what security experts have long warned: that the arrival of Internet TVs, smartphones and other popular Web-ready gadgets will usher in a new era of threats by presenting easy targets for hackers. As these devices become more popular, experts say, consumers can expect to run into familiar scams like credit card number thefts as well as new ones that play off features in the products. And because the devices are relatively new, they do not yet have as much protection as more traditional products, like desktop computers, do. “When it comes to where the majority of computing horsepower resides, you’re seeing a shift from the desktop to mobile devices and Web-connected products, and inevitably, that will trigger a change in focus within the hacking community,” said K. Scott Morrison, the chief technology officer at Layer 7 Technologies, which helps companies manage their business software and infrastructure. “I really do believe this is the new frontier for the hacking community.” To combat the threat, security companies have been pushing to develop new protection models. They are promoting items like fingerprint scanners and face recognition on devices, and tools that can disable a device or freeze its data if an attack is reported. But so far, such security measures have largely failed to reach the mainstream. Enrique Salem, the chief executive at Symantec, which makes antivirus software frequently installed on PCs, said it was unlikely that his company would produce the same kind of software for all of the new products. Such software can require a fair amount of computing muscle, which would put too much burden on devices that lack the oomph and battery life of traditional computers. And second, the attacks that Symantec and others have seen on the devices are so new that they will require a fresh approach, he said. “With something like Android, it’s a different type of threat and it functions differently,” Mr. Salem said. Symantec will focus on fingerprint scanners and other personal identifiers to devices, Mr. Salem said. The company also hopes to use features in the devices to help with protection. For example, if someone logs in to a computer from Florida, but location-tracking data says that the person’s phone is in Texas, then an application might ask a security question. Another goal is to let consumers report a possible security problem and get their data locked down or erased remotely until the problem is cleared up. “You want that ability to wipe the data away if a device is lost,” Mr. Salem said. The chip maker Intel recently bought Symantec’s main security technology rival, McAfee, for $7.7 billion. Intel executives say they plan to build some of McAfee’s technology into future chips that will go into mobile phones and other newer devices. Cellphones have been connected to the Web for years, but for much of that time, they tended to have tightly controlled, limited software and other constraints that made it difficult for hackers to do much damage. Attackers continued to find easier targets, and a larger pool of potential victims, by going after PCs running Microsoft Windows and other popular Web software. But these days, smartphones have many more capabilities. And smartphone shipments have hit a critical mass that makes them worth a hacker’s while. Also, Apple, Google, Nokia and others are in a race to fill their online mobile software stores applications. These companies have review mechanisms that try to catch malicious software, but the volume of new apps coupled with hackers’ wile make it difficult to catch every bad actor. With Android, in particular, Google has fostered a vibrant and chaotic smartphone platform in which companies of various shapes, sizes and standards have rushed out devices and complementary applications. Unlike Apple, Google does not approve applications one by one. Instead, it asks software makers to state what phone functions their applications tap into and to present that information to consumers. People can then decide if they are willing to download the application, and they can post online reviews for the software. A Google spokesman said that the company expected consumers to perform this type of self-policing and added that Google quickly investigated applications that received complaints. Still, there is a Wild West vibe to the smartphone market these days as smaller, unproven manufacturers have followed the likes of Apple, Nokia and Motorola in making smartphones. “The good smartphones have been pretty well designed,” said Mr. Morrison of Layer 7 Technologies. “The problem now is the flood of secondary phones that bring interesting diversity and also open up holes for hackers.” Security companies have issued repeated warnings that hackers have already started to capitalize on the application stores. The companies also caution that and hackers have discovered fake programs that try steal passwords or make expensive phone calls. Jimmy Shah, a mobile security researcher at McAfee Labs, said the company had run into so-called smishing attacks, a variation on phishing, in which someone is sent a deceptive text message that appears to have come from a bank or a retailer. Often, the message will ask the person to call a customer support line, at which point the attackers try to coax valuable information from the victim. Mr. Morrison said another concern was that hackers would concentrate on trying to run up people’s phone bills or find ways to tap into the location-tracking services tied to phones. “It is like a stalker’s dream,” he said. The flood of Web-enabled devices hitting the market, like the one the Mocana researchers hacked into, may be a more immediate threat. Mr. Turner of Mocana said the maker of that television had left crucial bits of information about its security credentials and those of third parties in an easy-to-reach spot, meaning that a hacker could infiltrate some of the data exchanged between companies providing commerce services for the TV. Mocana has notified the TV maker of the issues and has declined to reveal the company’s identity in a bid to thwart hackers. Mr. Turner would say it was one of the five best-selling Web-ready HDTVs. “The things we found were mistakes that an inexperienced device designer would make when connecting something to the Internet for the first time,” Mr. Turner said.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse

CBC News - Canada - Canadian flights to U.K. down to a few

Passengers sleep on makeshift beds in Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport in London on Tuesday.Passengers sleep on makeshift beds in Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport in London on Tuesday. (Toby Melville/Reuters)

It's another wait and see kind of day for Canadian travellers hoping to fly to snowy European destinations, with flight cancellations continuing at major airports across Canada.

Those with travel plans overseas are urged to check in on a regular basis with their carrier. Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said London's busiest airport is still turning away a majority of flights.

"With Heathrow, we're still operating under restrictions that they've imposed, so we're only able to operate one-third of our normal schedule, so that means today we'll have six flights going in and out. It's a very difficult situation," Fitzpatrick said.

"Heathrow is problematic for us for a couple of reasons. It's our biggest destination, where we fly the most international flights. As well, it's a big connecting point, so there's a lot of traffic in and out," he said.

Air Canada later issued a news release, showing Heathrow will be able to accommodate a few more flights for Canadians heading home for the holidays.

Air Canada Tuesday daytime flight plans

  • AC868 Toronto-London.
  • AC857 London-Toronto.
  • AC851 London-Calgary.
  • AC855 London-Vancouver.
  • AC859 London-Toronto.

Air Canada Tuesday evening flight plans

  • AC864 Montreal-London.
  • AC858 Toronto-London.
  • AC854 Vancouver-London.
  • AC2059 London-Toronto.

A Lufthansa flight to and from Frankfurt, booked in Vancouver, was cancelled. However, the Delta flight to and from Amsterdam was to go ahead as planned Tuesday evening.

A Heathrow-bound Air Canada flight was supposed to leave Tuesday morning from Halifax, but it was cancelled because of the backlog.

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday said his government had "offered military assistance" to the company that operates Heathrow and other airports in the U.K.

Heathrow said it was grateful for the offer but didn't need the help.

Still, with the backlog of cancelled flights, Heathrow said it would be operating at around one-third of its normal flight schedule until 6 a.m. local time on Thursday.

YOUR VOICE:

Has winter weather delayed your travel plans? Share your stories and photos.

Flight cancellations and delays have been going on since last Friday night, when snow began clogging runways in several European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France and the U.K.

Germany's largest airport in Frankfurt was close to running a normal schedule of flights again on Monday, but then had to cancel 300 flights early Tuesday after a new blizzard generated 40 centimetres of snow.

There were further disruptions at Paris's two main airports, Orly and Charles de Gaulle.

Air Canada has cancelled its flights between Halifax and London — with no word on when the flights might resume.

With files from The Associated Press
via cbc.ca

Really bad timing. It's awful being stuck in Heathrow during holidays season. Hopefully Heathrow will be able to accomodate the travellers and be back to normal operations.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

BBC News - Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook named Time's person of 2010

15 December 2010 Last updated at 17:38 ET

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Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook named Time's person of 2010

Mark Zuckerberg Mr Zuckerberg was the subject of the 2010 film The Social Network

Time magazine has picked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as its annual Person of the Year, the figure it believes had the most influence on events in 2010.

The 26-year-old billionaire was the subject of a 2010 film, The Social Network, charting Facebook's rise.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange earlier won a Time readers' poll on 2010's most influential person.

The annual feature has been a fixture since the 1920s, with the winner appearing on the front cover of Time.

The conservative Tea Party political movement was second choice of the magazine's editors and correspondents, followed by Mr Assange, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the 33 trapped Chilean miners.

In the readers' poll, more than 382,000 favoured naming Mr Assange as Person of the Year, ahead of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan and pop star Lady Gaga.

Mr Zuckerberg only made tenth place in the poll, garnering less than 20,000 votes.

Runaway success

Time managing editor Richard Stengel said Mr Zuckerberg's social networking service was "transforming the way we live our lives every day".

Mr Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook while a student at Harvard University in 2004. It now has more than 500 million users worldwide and employs more than 1,700 people.

In a statement, Mr Zuckerberg said the Time award was "a real honour and recognition of how our little team is building something that hundreds of millions of people want to use to make the world more open and connected. I'm happy to be a part of that."

Mr Zuckerberg, estimated to be worth $6.9bn (£4.4bn), is one of the richest people in the US, and earlier this month he became one of the latest billionaires to pledge to give away the majority of his wealth.

He is one of 17 new people to support a group, founded by Bill Gates and his wife along with Warren Buffett, which encourages America's wealthiest to publicly promise to donate to charity.

The Person of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) title is awarded by the magazine's editors to the figure deemed to have had the most influence on world events that year - not necessarily in a positive way.

Hitler, Stalin and the Ayatollah Khomeini have all won in the past.

In recent years, the title has gone to less controversial figures. In 2009 US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke won it, while US President Barack Obama won it the year before.

Really? What did Mr. Zuckerberg do to change the world? Other than making people connect via facebook.
I think Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks is the one to deserve this prize.

Defining the Word Friend

Baby in bunny suit and friend, pattern english/italiano

Definiton of word "friend":



- Friend offers help and is with you on your toughest times and glory times (note the order!)

- Friend is the one that I can go and talk to about difficult times and yet still feel confident and not ridiculated.

- Friend celebrate with you on your cheering times and at the same time doesn't envy you.

- Friends are counted by fingers.



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Why I'm (Never) Going Digital

I don't think an ebook reader will be my choice for Christmas.


Sony PRS-505 e-book reader

Actualy I don't have an e-book reader.

Whould I buy one? - No, I don't like reading on screen. I love having the book in my hand, and have my notes in it. It helps me build my long term memory.

Sorry I got to pass this one.

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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

CBC News - World - Protests erupt over Berlusconi confidence votes

Protesters in Rome torch cars after Italian Prime Minister narrowly survived two confidence votes Tuesday. Protesters in Rome torch cars after Italian Prime Minister narrowly survived two confidence votes Tuesday. (Giampiero Sposito/Reuters)

Violent protests have erupted in Rome after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi won back-to-back confidence votes in parliament, narrowly surviving one of his toughest political challenges yet.

Riot police used tear gas to try to stop angry demonstrators from torching cars, smashing windows and clashing with police.

Inside parliament's lower house, tensions boiled over as lawmakers pushed and shoved each other, forcing a brief suspension in the voting.

Berlusconi won Tuesday's votes in the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies.

In the Senate, he won by a vote of 162-135. In the second and most dramatic of Tuesday's votes, Berlusconi survived a confidence motion in the lower house by three votes.

If he had lost, Berlusconi would have been forced to resign, halfway through the five-year term of parliament.

The parliamentary showdown followed a spate of sex scandals and a dramatic fallout with his one-time closest ally, Gianfranco Fini. The breakup could have deprived Berlusconi of a majority in the lower house, where the outcome was expected to hang on a few undecided lawmakers.

Fini, the co-founder of Berlusconi's centre-right People of Freedom party who abandoned the coalition last summer, predicted the premier would lose.

Berlusconi had said he was confident he would win both votes.

© The Canadian Press, 2010
The Canadian Press

via cbc.ca

Berlusconi's time is over. He should resign and leave the torch to someone that can bring italians's confidence back.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Layton slams ‘predatory’ nature of credit card companies - Vancouver Sun

EDMONTON — NDP leader Jack Layton used a downtown Edmonton eco-boutique as the backdrop Sunday to illustrate the “predatory” nature of credit card companies he accused of taking advantage of Christmas shoppers and business owners.

“We’re here because consumers and small businesses are under attack from predatory credit card companies,” said Layton, who made a swing through Edmonton to attend a Christmas party for supporters of NDP candidate Lewis Cardinal.

Layton said retail sales during the Christmas season can make or break many small business owners, who face a list of fees and charges from credit card companies that affect both their profitability and viability.

Allison MacLean has experienced the impact of such charges first-hand. She owns Carbon Environmental Boutique, the site of Sunday’s news conference. The store has been open for two years now and sells environmentally-friendly products that include everything from paint to flooring to bed linens to toys. MacLean said the store actually stopped carrying one credit card because the fees were so high.

“We get charged when we ring a purchase through on a credit card and we get charged again when we have to do a refund,” said MacLean. “Honestly, credit card fees and merchant fees and rental fees for the unit are my second biggest expense. It’s not in the hundreds of dollars, it’s in the thousands, so anything that can be done to lower the fees will help small businesses.”

Canadian consumers, meanwhile, says Layton, are carrying more personal debt than at any point in the country’s history, yet many are unable to pay even the monthly interest fees on their credit cards and end up accruing penalties which send them deeper and deeper into debt.

“Coming out of this Christmas season, it’s going to be even tougher for families,” said Layton.

In the meantime, says Layton, banks and credit card companies are making record profits and giving away half of those profits in bonuses to CEOs and managers. He also accused Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government of giving “massive tax cuts” to these same companies, while at the same time putting a federal tax on products Canadians need.

“He doesn’t get it,” says Layton. “The banks alone are going to get $800 million of tax breaks on Jan. 1st of this year and the consumers are going to find themselves with bills that have interest rates at 18 per cent, even higher if they’re penalized for missing a payment.”

Layton says the NDP wants every credit card company to be required to offer a “basics” credit card at five per cent above prime to allow Canadian consumers a better chance to get out of debt. For retailers, the party wants to see a more open process so that small businesses wouldn’t be “gouged” by contracts and penalties.

“I think it’s important for consumers to know that when these banks send you these fancy credit cards, it’s often the small retailers in your neighbourhood that end up having to pay extra to the credit card company for you to get these various bonuses and points,” said Layton. “I think if people knew that they wouldn’t want them.”

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

When it will ever stop? None is ever thinking how to relief the end buyers. Canadians are increasing the debt cause we can't give up on our "entitlements". As Layton said, Canadians need credit cards with lower intererst rates.

We need to change our spending habits and spend what we can afford, so that the CEOs and managers of credit card companies feel the pinch.
Olgen

Canadians now more indebted than Americans - Vancouver Sun

Carney warns cheap money won't last forever

Bank of Canada governor warned Monday households and businesses could face a “brutal reckoning” if they don’t prepare for a return to higher interest ...

1 hour ago
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Word of wisdom: "Rivers don't always bring stones", meaning save some money for emergency times, and don't go crazy during Holidays!!! I find it hard to recover after this time until summer time comes...

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

My Favorite Sound

My favorite sound....


Forest lake in summer

My favorite sound: Sound of forest and birds.

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Sunday, December 5, 2010

Just a Little Harmless Venting

Your taxes, not delivered

HST - hate paying more taxes

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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

To Have Loved and Lost

Under the Tree of Life

Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?



Well my answer is - Yes - better have loved and lost and feel alive.

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